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Tuesday, 22 January 2013

UKIP and the dunghill

I recently did some desultory research on UKIP, the party with no MPs which seems to be on a bit of a roll at the moment.

I've voted for UKIP once or twice - at least I think I have. These things don't loom large in my memory. I was probably doing my feeble best to rock the political boat, although quite what I was voting for with UKIP I was never quite sure.

Nigel Farage comes across well and appears willing to poke a stick at the establishment and what more can one ask given the present state of affairs? Because unless one has inside information, and quite a lot of it gathered over quite a long period, it is impossible to get a feel for the culture of a political party.

In a sane world, a natural solution to this obvious voting dilemma would be to rely on open political cultures where on the whole, what you see is what you get and the media tell it as it is. Naive I know, but rational folk need ideals to show themselves why they turned out so cynical.

Unfortunately, it seems to me that if you subtract the charlatans, thieves, liars and idiots from the political dung heap, you don't leave many still standing. Not quite none, but near enough.

What to do? Well it's an impossible situation for voters who prefer to think before they vote. Our political culture is so excessively unreliable, that extreme cynicism really is the best policy. For all I know, Farage might be a control freak and his party a nest of vipers no better than any of the others.

For all I know, UKIP may be a deep-dyed establishment party with no more interest in rocking the EU boat than David Cameron. Their rhetoric may be little more than political marketing.

How are we supposed to tell? How do we know the promises will be kept in the face of relentless pressure and propaganda from vested EU interests?

Even so, next time around I may still vote UKIP as a feeble boat-rocking gesture, but it doesn't mean I support the party. How does anyone support any party with a political culture such as ours? In any event, I soon managed to Google some bitter rivalries in and around the UKIP camp.

Living in a safe Tory seat I tend to vote for the party that is second in line in both national and council elections - a feeble protest, but I cannot bear for the incumbent to have it all their own way.

BTW most markets mature to two or three big players and a handful of also-rans. A growing also-ran tends to get bought up. Job for Nigel anyone?